Around 3.5 tons of drugs busted in southeastern Iran

Police Chief of Sistan and Baluchestan province Second Brigadier General Mohammad Ghanbari broke the news, saying that that the consignments were busted during two arm clashes in borer regions of Khash and Mirjaveh this week.

In one operation, the police captured two offenders and 684.4 kg of opium, along with an AK47 and ammunition.

The second operation, which involved heavy exchange of fire between the police and smugglers in the borders, led to the discovery of 2.69 tons of different drugs, including 2.2 tons of opium, and 476 kg of hashish.

The Islamic Republic has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past three decades, despite its high economic and human costs. The war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian police officers over the past four decades. The country has spent more than hundreds of millions of dollars on sealing its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.

MNA/4913777